AllFreeNovel
Share Us
After Lis leaves,I head back to my bedroom intending to unpack our bags, but before I have a chance to, my phone chimes out with a text.
Alex:Hey, Nick, are you back??
I grinat the message in the group chat I have with my two best friends, as I type out a response.
Me:Yep, just got in. What are you up to?
Alex: Me and Max are gonna head to the Matterhorn for a few afternoon drinks. Wanna join us??
I glanceat our unpacked bags again, wondering if I should stay and unpack and do some laundry or just say fuck it and go and see my friends. I know which one I’d prefer and considering how many years I spent not getting to hang out with them, it definitely feels like the better option.
Me:Yeah, sure, sounds good. I’ll head down now. See you soon.
I grab my coat,beanie and gloves, figuring I’ll walk into town because Mandy is always pushing me to do my exercises and keep using my knee as much as possible. I feel a lot steadier on my right leg now and I know that’s because every day it’s getting stronger and stronger.
And I can’t help but wonder if that means it’s also getting closer and closer to me being able to ski again too. Tomorrow is my meeting with Mandy and the coach, so maybe I’ll find out. And even though that’s going to potentially change a lot of things with Lis and me, I finally feel like we are both in the right place to deal with all of that.
Lis says she’s going to come with me, that she’s happy to give up her life here in Badger Creek and travel with me and while I still struggle to believe she really means that, I’m still selfish enough to take her up on it. I don’t want to be without her, I never did, and being back together now, getting this time again, has only solidified that for me.
“Hey, how was your Christmas?” Alex asks, as I join him in a booth.
“Yeah, really good. Yours?”
Alex grins. “Amazing, me and Laney had a great time in Boston.”
“Yeah, me and—” I stop, suddenly remembering that while Lis and I have agreed that it’s time our friends know about us, I don’t want to just drop it on them now, without her. “Me and um, the family did too,” I say.
“And Elissa, have you seen her since you got back?” Alex asks, his grin widening.
I’m saved from answering with yet another lie to my friend by the arrival of both Max and Ethan, who join us in the booth.
“Convinced this guy to knock off work early and join us,” Max says, nodding at his boss and soon to be brother-in-law.
Ethan chuckles. “I don’t work half as much as I used to, you know.”
Max rolls his eyes at him. “Yeah, only because you’re so gaga over my sister.”
I clear my throat before saying, “Um hey kettle, meet pot.” Alex bursts out laughing at this, and I turn to him and add, “Yeah, you ain’t much better, you know.”
Alex smirks now. “Is this jealousy or frustration talking, Nick?”
“Um, why would I be jealous or frustrated?”
This time it’s Alex and Max who are both laughing and when I turn to Ethan, I can see he’s smiling, but it’s different, probably because he’s the only one who knows what Zoey did when I first got back to Badger Creek.
“Oh, I don’t know, jealous because you also want to be gaga over your girl and frustrated because you aren’t there yet,” he says, grinning. “Unless you are and you’re just failing to mention it to us.”
Beside me, Ethan lets out a laugh that he immediately tries to hide as a cough before he stands and says, “I’ll get us some beers.”
“You’re an idiot,” I say, tossing a coaster at Alex, before turning to Max and asking, “How was your Christmas?”
“Good,” he says. “Harper is finally over her morning sickness, so yeah it was really good.”
“I still can’t believe you’re having another kid,” I say, shaking my head with a smile.
Max grins. “Don’t knock it till you try it, dude. It’s actually pretty fucking great,” he says, as Ethan returns with our beers. “It’ll be these two next, I’m sure,” Max adds, tipping his bottle toward Ethan.
“These two what?” he asks.
